It is incredible how technology has allowed us to see world events in real time. I don’t know if you are keeping up with the situation in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). It is riveting to see monks who are being shot at as they are peacefully protesting the oppression of […]
Teaching Moment by an Application
Last week in our Covenant small group (our married couples group), we had the men and women split up for the application in our study. With two other men, we were trying to think of ways to be a blessing to our wives. As we went around and shared, I realized that it doesn’t take […]
3:10 to Yuma
Yesterday for our date night, Christina and I watch 3:10 to Yuma, a movie staring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Believe it or not, Christina loves Western movies and mobster movies. Yeah, brothers, I am a blessed man! The movie wasn’t spectacular but it was decent. I think if you are […]
Politics is a Deadly Calling
Last week there were reports on the news that a parliament member who belonged to the Christian party was killed by a car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon. There was steady progress towards reform in the country especially as the Syrian influence started to lose some control in the area. But 6 days before the Parliament […]
Pride Before the Fall
I don’t know many of you have been keeping up with the battle for record sales between Kanye West and 50 Cent. Bottom line was that 50 Cent made a bold statement (for what reasons only he will know). He stated that if Kanye’s album that was coming out at the same time as his […]
Nehemiah at Access Ministry
Tomorrow in our student Access Ministry, we are going to start a series in the Book of Nehemiah. This is one of the best books in the Bible on the topic of leadership. The need for training and equipping is increasing as our church is trying to send out more Kingdom […]
Bring the Rain
As I was driving home from morning prayer today, I heard a song on the Christian radio that really spoke to me. In the last couple of weeks, I have been speaking a lot (via sermon, blog, meetings with people, etc) on this whole topic of self-centered Christianity that is pervading the Church. In fact, […]
Days of Devotion
I read an article this morning by Margaret Manning. It just reinforced a lot of things that I have been writing about this week, especially about how Muslims view us and also about the “self-centered me” Christianity that we have tolerated here in the States. Manning writes, “September is a very important month for Jews […]
A Consumer Generation?
We have heard a lot about how our generation is a consumer generation more than ever before and we don’t know how to commit to something. In defense of our generation this is not always the case. I have seen many young people commit to things with their whole life… maybe it is because there […]
Déjà Vu a la Church’s Role
When we first started the church, we had to grapple with the issue of the church’s and the para-church’s role on campus. Since we were a fully functioning church with a focus on the campus, we ran into some problems with the para-church. Maybe I should say it was more of a conflict of interest. […]
Ramadan and Christians Fasting
For many Christians, the start of Ramadan came and went. Ramadan in 2007 started yesterday, September 13th and will continue for 30 days until Friday, October 12th. During this month there are a lot of various religious observances that a Muslim is suppose to follow. The most common practice during this month is the daytime […]
Sixth Year Anniversary of 9/11
It is hard to believe that it has been 6 years since the 9/11 attacks. With the busyness of life it is easy to forget. But today as I was driving my kids to school, when I heard the song, I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me. They added a montage of various recordings of […]
A Lesson from Heartbreak
Urgh! A principle that we will constantly be confronted with is – when we get too comfortable or have an over-estimation of ourselves, we will be humbled. Michigan Wolverines were ranked #5 in the nation and Appalachian State who?! Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will […]
Contradictions in Racial Proportions
People in our generation have settled for contradictions in life. In some ways to live with contradictions is to be human. The prophet Jeremiah in the good book shares, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). A story that caught my […]